Story
Park Vista 21, Palm Beach Central 14: Cobras hold off Broncos' rally
Thursday, October 06, 2011
by
Matt Porter
Unbeaten No. 6 Park Vista needed every second on the clock to pull out a 21-14 win over Palm Beach Central on Thursday night.
After Palm Beach Central (3-3, 0-1 District 10-8A) cut a two-touchdown advantage in half with nine minutes remaining, Park Vista (5-0, 1-0) strung together an 18-play drive that covered 77 yards, but stalled inside the 5, and killed all but 35.6 seconds of the clock.
Then the drama really began.
The Broncos, who tried to strip the ball on every play and almost recovered a fumble, stopped Park Vista junior Nelyja Floyd for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Broncos' 3.
Rather than attempt a chip-shot field goal, Park Vista coach Brian Dodds had elected to go for it on fourth down. Palm Beach Central had no timeouts left, and Dodds had plenty of trust in his defense, which allowed 201 yards of total offense and had sacked Broncos senior quarterback Brock Bukowski (7-of-18, 96 yards, two TDs) three times.
"If they'd had timeouts left, no doubt," Dodds said of a field-goal attempt. "But to go the distance I felt like we had a chance to hold them. Our defense had played well all night."
The Cobras, who came into the game having allowed less than a touchdown per game, didn't break. Bukowski scrambled for a 12-yard gain and was hit late out of bounds for a 15-yard penalty, but that was all for the Broncos.
In winning their district opener, the Cobras gained 243 yards on the ground, led by sophomore quarterback Qwad Martin (18 carries, 77 yards, TD).
Late the third quarter, Palm Beach Central gave the visitors a vital second chance, committing a roughing-the-kicker penalty on fourth-and-1 from Park Vista's 35. Four plays later, Cobras senior Adrian Cerrato scampered 26 yards for a score that made it 21-7.
"We're going to get over the hump," Palm Beach Central coach Rod Harris said. "We were disappointed with the outcome, but we'll be back."
Returning after a five-game suspension, incurred during the Broncos' exhibition kickoff classic against West Boca Raton, Palm Beach Central junior Lloyd Howard caught five passes for 78 yards and a pair of over-the-shoulder touchdown grabs, including a 28-yarder in the fourth to pull the Broncos within seven points.
On a drive midway through the second, Howard caught a 13-yarder that gave the Broncos the early lead.
They didn't hold the advantage for long, though. Cobras senior Shane Bussey hit senior Steven Jerome for a 54-yard TD with 2:37 left in the second quarter. Martin added a 20-yard score after the Broncos lost a fumble with 43.5 seconds left in the half.
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User Comments:
cobrafan1 commented on October 7, 2011 at 5:42 a.m.: report abuse
Way to go Cobras! You guys are a TEAM and we are all so proud of you! Keep doing what you're doing! "TOGETHER WE WILL!"
Weird commented on October 7, 2011 at 7:29 a.m.: report abuse
it was a great game, but no mention of the refs and all the blown calls? Pass inter, roughing the punter (was blocked into him), holding #4 ALL NIGHT, phantom hold to bring back a huge gain. No excuses, but I'd like to see the final penalty count. Even the ref on the PBC sideline thought something was weird.
sportsfan commented on October 7, 2011 at 7:38 a.m.: report abuse
@weird, generally in sports articles, the officiating in any games (esp high school) will not get mentioned, unless it's about total yards loss on penalties, or a coach gets kicked out of a game for confronting a ref.
Tired Bronco Fan commented on October 7, 2011 at 7:55 a.m.: report abuse
How do the fans put up with this season after losing season???? Same old story. Central has talent but never puts it together. We all know what the problem is but no one seems to want to do anything about it. You have a cute little tunnel for the team to run out of. Nice flags and posters outside the stadium. How about a staff that can evaluate talent and not be out coached on a regular basis. See RPB game and last night. Sorry if that seems harsh but those boys deserve better.
@ Weird commented on October 7, 2011 at 8 a.m.: report abuse
Man both sides had penalties that you can say wasn't, but that's the game and that didn't decide the game. Vista made a few more plays than Central and tha's it. Great game and both teams player really hard. Don't down play it saying you are not makoing excuses, when you are. Central has nothing to be ashamed about. That game was very physical and a lot of speed flying all around. Central will be there at the end. Keep working hard.BTW Vista 6-40 and Central 6-65 pretty close on penalties.
mr gibbs commented on October 7, 2011 at 8:11 a.m.: report abuse
fumbles, penalties, poor execution and mental mistakes jn key situations, wrapped around some pretty good play by central. . . it was a team effort on both sides. Less than 500 total yards offense. Vista made less mistakes.
joe gomal commented on October 7, 2011 at 8:42 a.m.: report abuse
to bad freshman vista and jv vista got the beat down, so shut yall mouths
joe gomal commented on October 7, 2011 at 8:43 a.m.: report abuse
freshman and jv BRANCOS beat that ass
@joe commented on October 7, 2011 at 8:46 a.m.: report abuse
haha i hope you're being sarcastic. If you were any good you'd be on varsity and would have gotten a man's beatdown by vista last night instead of wednesday.
The watcher commented on October 7, 2011 at 8:58 a.m.: report abuse
Anytime you get two neighborhood teams as good as these two together, penalties will be there and so will cry babies (@Weird). It was a great game by both teams. The kids were flyin around playing tough football. PV made a few more plays when it counted. Both teams should not get caught up in the outcome of this game, there is a lot of football still to be played this season.
PB Football Fan commented on October 7, 2011 at 10:43 a.m.: report abuse
Game was great and both teams played hard.The overall better team won.
@ Tired Bronco Fan commented on October 7, 2011 at 10:53 a.m.: report abuse
Amen, Tired Bronco Fan. Same crap, different year.
PBC commented on October 7, 2011 at 1:21 p.m.: report abuse
Look...These teams were very evenly matched.
In the end it came down to turnovers and penalties. Vista was more disciplined and had fewer penalties. Take away that roughing the kicker penalty and the game could have ended with PBC winning. Do not fumble the ball, and same thing. Those were key game changing mistakes which Central needs to work on.
Weird commented on October 7, 2011 at 1:24 p.m.: report abuse
anyone know what the spread was, i think a ref had some $$$ riding on this game
Give it a Rest.... commented on October 7, 2011 at 1:47 p.m.: report abuse
Interestingly, the losing team always complains about penalties. If you look at the stats, however, each team had 6 penalties, both for almost 50 yards. Seems pretty even ... and the better team won.
@Give it a Rest.... commented on October 7, 2011 at 2:09 p.m.: report abuse
Are you kidding me? Did you eat lead paint chips as a kid?
That 50 yards does not take into account the yards lost on a play due to holding calls. One cost about 70 yards for PBC. Also, roughing the kicker is leaps and bounds more devastating of a penalty than a false start or an encroachment call.
Two great teams with great athletes came to play. PBC made some VERY costly mistakes that a great team like PV capitalized on. End of story.
facts commented on October 7, 2011 at 3:56 p.m.: report abuse
PV-6 for 40 and PBC 6 for 65 in yardage for penalties. @@give it a rest don't hold and don't rough the kicker then you would have not been in holes. As well PI right in front of Vista bench late. Dude that was mistakes made and Vista made the best of it. Vista had penalties that may have not been fair too, but you never can let refs be the reason you lose a game. I'll tell ya PBC needs to be a little more disciplined and learn to play together a little bit more, you would be much stronger. Don't blame the coach for you as the players making the mistakes, and give Vista credit they made mistakes too, but they play as a team, man they lost the starting center and had trouble with snaps, but hung together and kept each other built up and made a few more plays. They ran the ball well and the d made big plays when needed. Don't you think all the bleachers coaches were mad at coach dodds for not kicking the field goal? They were even chanting field goal. That was a great call with PBC having no time outs left, you run it on fourth down, take more time off clock and then you had to drive the length of the field on a pretty good defense. He might have tried a qb sneak, but it wasn't he didn't trust his kicker either, it was showing his defense the confidence he had in them and that will build character for the rest of the season. Now just get ready, because Boca is already smack talking from the QB down there. You guy's look good and your coach did a good job kind of holding the run game for a good part. Great game and believe in each other and Coach.
hakufhpAIU commented on October 7, 2011 at 4:14 p.m.: report abuse
I think the article made a mistake about who threw the 54 yard TD in the 2nd quarter. I'm pretty sure it was Quad and not Shane. Anybody know for sure?
Give it a Rest commented on October 7, 2011 at 5:51 p.m.: report abuse
I agree that the severity of a penalty affects a team -- then don't commit the foul. I find it hard to believe that anyone without an agenda could think that such a fairly played and hard fought game could be marred by the officials. If I remember correctly, other than the false starts and offsides, there were only four "real" penalties (a hold, pass interference, roughing passer and roughing kicker). If the officials wanted to have an affect on the game in favor of one team, they would have had to have called more fouls. Also, as to the yardage called back by a foul, I doubt the officials know the results of the play ahead of time; if they throw a hold at the time, they don't know how long the play is going to go for. Finally, why would the officials care -- are they associated with a given school? I think not.
Just accept that both teams played hard, and yours lost!
@haku commented on October 7, 2011 at 9:59 p.m.: report abuse
Yes the paper was wrong, Qwad threw the td
Football Fan commented on October 7, 2011 at 11:15 p.m.: report abuse
Vista was terrific. I'm getting a little tired of how the Post covers PV. The article made it sound like PBC was driving at the end to win. PBC scored with nine minutes left and PV took the ball down to the one leaving PBC with forty four seconds and no time outs to go 99 yards. Why does it say PV needed every second in the artice that makes it sound like PV had to score at the end to win. The game was never in serious jeopardy. Overall I've noticed that PV gets very little respect from the Post and it's gone from minor slights in the articles to blantantly obvious. Gret job to PV winning strong on the road.
Pv community commented on October 8, 2011 at 12:49 a.m.: report abuse
We at pv dont need recognition, nor are we looking for it. We let our play speak for us.
Tired PBC fan # 2 commented on October 8, 2011 at 10:25 a.m.: report abuse
Finish up the season, Angelo goes to where ever! and go and get a whole NEW coaching staff,or better yet they do the right thing and retire and go coach flag football somewhere. Good Job PV the better team won.
tired bronco fan # 3 commented on October 8, 2011 at 4:31 p.m.: report abuse
Four years of Harris and PBC is no better. With a huge O line and 5 D-1 players at least, they can't dominate? He and his OC had their chance and they have done nothing to prove another year unless PBC is happy with 5-5. You cannot blame the kids, a 4 year window has given him a chance to 'groom' his players and they haven't been getting ahead. It happens, his style is not working here.
NOT SO FAST commented on October 8, 2011 at 5:34 p.m.: report abuse
Not so fast guy's, Coaches don't block, run, pass, catch, or work as a team to become better. Most of the time all you guy's do is saynwho is better than who and get in fights etc. Sorry, but none of that is coaching. What has the news said all year what your issues are? DISCIPLINE! If you don't listen to your coaches, you can't build that. Discipline comes from within your own hearts. If they ran the same five plays all night and you execute it to perfection with that bignline and all the skill players you have, then you would be much better. Look at PV, they ran a set of plays a lot and yes Coach Dodds mixed up some, but they were disciplined and it seems to be working. I think as players you need to look at each other and figure a way to rally behind your coach and trybharder to work A's hard A's you can to execute the plays given, and hate to say it, but you ran out of gas some too, so that is not the coach, but each one of you being in the best shape you can be in. Think about it and see what you can do. A lot of football left.
more excuses commented on October 8, 2011 at 6:02 p.m.: report abuse
Response to the last,You are right coaches dont block,run etc..the problem is at Central the coaches do not have control of that team or the respect of all the players.the team totally lacks disipline and authority of the coaching staff.
Instead of booting a problem player off the team regardless of their talent they coddle them, and you think the other players dont see that.
That is to large of a school and team to lose control of.
And as for given kids second chances how many do you give someone 15-20 before you take action.To many players on that team for all the excuses.Leadership comes from the Top on down.
^^^^YUP^^^^^^^ commented on October 8, 2011 at 10:43 p.m.: report abuse
We all know who you are talking about too. This kid was benched for 1/2 of the 1st quarter of RPB game and intentionally played like crap to get back at the coaches, and the sad part is other team mates followed him. He needs to go. I would have to say that #12 is just as good as # 5, so drop #5 and improve the morale of the whole team
former pbc player #51 commented on October 9, 2011 at 12:12 a.m.: report abuse
Honestly parents, the players all go on these websites after the game and during the weekend and see all this hateful belittling garbage that you guys post on here. If you're unhappy about the situation with the coaches or the refs then bring it to the attention of the president of the school, and present a legitimate reason for the coach to be fired because simply saying that "one kid should start over another" is not reason enough to have him fired. Is there favoritism? Absolutely, there was before Harris and there will be after him. Your jobs as PARENTS is to be there to encourage your child to stick with it and try to better themselves as players and as people about to go into the real world after high school. Stop with these online antics and spend your time where it needs to be; with your children. Good luck with the rest of the season and God bless.
Really? commented on October 9, 2011 at 12:56 a.m.: report abuse
First, losers make excuses & that's all anyone hears from PBC fans. Refs hate us, penalties killed us. Quit complaining & win a big game, for a change. Coaching stinks, kids have no faith in the staff. And, #12 not in Angelo's league. Of course coaches know this, so Angelo is never held accountable for dogging routes, dropping passes. But, that would require discipline from the coaches. Joke.
Not so fast commented on October 9, 2011 at 6:03 p.m.: report abuse
Angelo does have some speed and the projectable body, but no heart and quits on his teammates, and it was clear in that Vista game. For the most part I think 21 covered him pretty good, but Vista has been dogged all summer by everyone that they have no defense and without Mason football life is over. I am not bragging on them too much, but one thing they do have is heart and unity. I know it's easier to have when your winning, but in the summer they were having some tuff times getting a new offense in place and defense holes to fill. The coaches have done a nice job for the most part, especially the DC for that d is really playing well. Look at Ridge, same thing lost o line due to graduation, and now starting to get those guys playing better every week. I realize it starts at the top as well and they should not let one or more players dictate what the discipline will be. Not sure all the details, but the OC shouldn't have quit either, because most of us teach our kid's not to quit even if things are not great. I hope things work out for you, but it starts with the players now don't give up on each other. Remember there is a lot of football left and you can beat both Boca and John I of you pull together and who cares who gets the praise.
The Truth commented on October 9, 2011 at 9:59 p.m.: report abuse
everyone acts as if PBC was a powerhouse before.Central was never good.N they always r getting better.So when they loose its not as if they were undefeated or something.Evryone needs to do their HW.Coach Louvie n Oniel are probably some of the best coaches in the county.But when Centrals D gives up all these points how do u expect to win.
Eddie commented on October 10, 2011 at 6:59 a.m.: report abuse
If you think that the OC is one of the best in the county you are crazy,but have a right to your opinon.And I agree with a earlier statement,central was never a powerhouse to begin with its not like they are coming off of muiltiple championships.
All it is,a bunch of hype from a couple of you tube all show no go sensations.I also agree with a ealier statement what they lack most is heart.
Coaching staff should have realized that kids with heart can go alot further,then kids with talent and no heart!!
val commented on October 12, 2011 at 9:54 a.m.: report abuse
Listen PBC, you have a HC who has issues, he is insecure, and believes winning with undisciplined players is the right thing to do. To the administration hire someone who will disicipline the kids. The fact the head coach or school did nothing about a player who stole cell phones and had a affair with a teacher and is still allowed to be on the team. I may just be posting trash for some people but the individual sacrifices for the team, the team has been sacrificed for the individual. Time for change el principal.
Bristol Airport Hotels commented on April 18, 2012 at 9:21 p.m.: report abuse
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